Global smartwatch shipments soared 250 percent year-over-year in the first quarter of 2014, according to the latest stats from market research firm Strategy Analytics. Samsung's Galaxy Gear was the top performing, outpacing rivals Motorola and Pebble. Read more.

Mobile voice over LTE, aka VoLTE, fueled a 37 percent year-over-year growth in carrier VoIP and IMS revenues, which reached $992 million in the first quarter of 2014, according to Infonetics Research. "Already this year we have seen AT&T, PCCW/HKT, and other operators launch VoLTE services, and NTT DoCoMo is set to do so in June. There will be additional launches in 2014 by large and small providers alike that will hit the bottom line," explains Diane Myers, principal analyst for VoIP, UC and IMS at Infonetics. Read more.

FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai is backing changes to state and local rules restricting carriers from deploying small cells and distributed antenna systems (DAS) to increase capacity. "Regulations can make it tough to deploy infrastructure," Pai was quoted by Wireless Week as saying during a speech at the PCIA conference in Orlando this week. He is proposing that the FCC adopt rules within the next six months to streamline the treatment of small cells and DAS systems, curb local moratoria and improve the FCC's shot clock rules, the report notes. Read more.

A full sixty percent of consumers' time on a mobile phone is spent using apps, according to Yankee Group analyst Sheryl Kingstone. Apps represent a significant opportunity for firms to get new customers and engage with existing ones. In addition, 84 percent of businesses want proactive mobile communications and users prefer customer service over the mobile phone, writes Kingstone. Read more.

Enterprise mobility management firm Good Technology is expanding in the Japanese market and has signed an agreement with Japanese wireless carrier NTT DoCoMo to offer a mobile security solution for enterprise users. "Our recent acquisition of BoxTone was Good's first step in providing enterprise customers in Japan with access to secure mobility, so they protect their data and not just their devices. Today, we are delighted to expand that investment by bringing an even broader set of solutions to the Japanese market," says Good CEO Christy Wyatt. Read more.

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